Disk-record container or cabinet



H. D. FITZPATRICK DISK RECORD CONTAINER OR CABINET Dec- 151925 Filed Fe 15, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet l 5 v a w Jr/zwn' Dec- 15, 1925- 1,565,993 H. o. FITZPATRICK DISK RECORD CONTAINER 0R CABINET Filed Feb. 15. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 n V v 5: A 0/77676.

H. D. FITZPATRICK' DISK RECORD CONTAINER 0R CABINET Dec- 15, 1925.

Filed Feb. 15, 1922 4 Shee/ts-Sheet 5 m m r/l/ I Dec- 15,192s.- 5. 3

* H. D. FITZPATRICK I DISK RECORD CN'IlAI'NER OR CABINET Filed Feb. 15, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUGH D. FITZPATRICK, OF GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, ASSIG-NOR TO ERNEST HAYWARD FAIRBANKS, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DISK-RECORD CONTAINER OR CABINET.

Application filed February 15, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH DONALD Frrz- PATRICK, of Glasgow, Scotland, a subject of the King of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Disk-Record Containers or Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to containers and cabinets, such as used for holding disk records of gramophones, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide improvements in such containers, or cabinets, whereby the capacity thereof can be increased at will, and, at the same time, always present an attractive appearance and occupy the minimum of space, and another obj cot of the invention is to improve the construction of such cabinets, or containers, whereby they are rendered more advantageous in use and better adapted for the storage of gramophone disk records than those at present known.

According to this invention, the disk records are stored in cells, or receptacles, each of which is divided into a series of compartments, and provided with a lid, or cover, for enclosing the contents and preventing the entry of dust. I The cells, or receptacles, are adapted to be placed side by side and, (or) on top of each other, and thus constitute a sectional cabinet composed of a series of cells, or receptacles, such sectional cabinet always being adapted to be extended by the addition of further cells, or receptacles, all of which correspond to and constitute counterparts of each other.

If desired, the cells, or receptacles, may be located in a frame comprising a series of nests, each adapted to receive one cell, or re ceptacle, or a number thereof.

The cells, or receptacles, are, or may be, provided with means whereby they can be registered with one another, and also, if necessary, interlocked. To this end any, or all, of the walls of the cells, or receptacles, may be provided with holes, or recesses, at predetermined pointsin the exterior surface, or surfaces, thereof adapted to receive Serial No. 536,657.

pins, or their equivalents; or in place of the pins, or equivalents, the said walls may be provided with ribs, or the like, so arranged, that the rib, or ribs, on the under surface of one cell, or receptacle, is, or are, adapted to engage and interlock with a rib, or ribs,

onthe upper surface of another cell, or receptacle, when two such cells, or receptacles, 'are fitted together.

The lid, or cover, of each cell, or recep-- tacle, may be in the form of a hinged, or pivoted door, or consist of a flexible cover, or closure means, such as, a blind mounted on a spring controlled, or other form, of roller, or, .such as, a roll-top cover comprising a series of slats, or bars, flexibly connected together and arranged in, or on, a guide provided in, or on, the cell, or receptacle. The lid, or cover, may be fitted with means for looking it in the closed position, and such means is, preferably, provided on the lid, or cover, and adapted to engage with the walls of the cell, or receptacle, or parts thereon.

Several constructions of cells, or recep tacles, are illustrated by way of example. on the accompanying drawings whereon:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cell, or receptacle, provided with a roll-top cover, shown partly open.

Figs. 2 and 3 respectively, are a sectional side elevation, and a sectional plan of the coi' struction shewn in Fig. 1 with the cover closed.

Fig. 4- is a similar view to Fig. 2 with the cover open, and Fig. 5 is a front elevation of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional perspective view, and Fig. 7 a sectional elevation, and Fig. 8 a sectional plan taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7, of details to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 9 is a similar view to Fig. 2 and Fig. 10 is a front elevation, partly open, of a modified construction of cell, or receptacle.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view and'Fig. 12 is a sectional side elevation shewn open, and Fig. 13 is a front elevation shewn closed, of another modified construction of cell, or receptacle.

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Fig. 14; is a similar view to Fig. 11, and Fig. 15 is a sectional side elevation shewn closed, of a further modification.

Figs. 16, 17 and 18 are diagrammatic perspective views of cells, or receptacles, provided with different arrangements for interlocking the cells when arranged one upon another.

Fig. 19 is a perspective front view of a frame adapted to receive a number of cells, or receptacles The construction of cell, or receptacle, shewn in Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive, comprises a downwardly and forwardly pitched, or inclined, floor, or false bottom, a, and a series of spaced vertical partitions 7) which are disposed between the false bottom a and an upper inner wall 0 and parallel with the side walls (Z of the cell, or receptacle, and divide the latter, into a number of compartments, each of which is adapted to contain a gramophone disk record when disposed on 1ts peripheral edge.

The cell, or receptacle, is fitted with a,

guard which is movable to and from the front edges of the partitions Z), and comprises a guard rail 0 and side arms 6' p1votally mounted on supports 6 secured to the side walls (Z. The guard controls the movement of disk re'c'ordsto and from the compartments between the partitions, and the inclined false bottom causes the records to move forwardly and out of the compartments, when the guard is moved away from the partitions to the open position, as shewn in Fig. 4, and in the open position the guard supports the disk records on the front margin of the false bottom. To regulate the extent of outward movement of the guard c and partially support the latter and any disk records resting against it, a chain, or equivalent flexible means, f, is secured at its ends to each side arm 0 and side wall d. A block, or abutment, f, is also provided on each side wall for the side arms 0 to rest upon in the open position. For retaining the guard in the closed position and any disk records in compartments, it is provided at each end, as shewn in Figs. 7 and 8, with a spring controlled projecting pin, g each of which engages with a recess g in the side wall (Z. The guard rail 6 is, preferably, provided with cushioning material for the disk records to contact with, and may also have indicators such as numeral, see Fig. 5, or the equivalent thereof, corresponding to the disk records in the compartments, or may be provided with means for accommodatin indicator cards, or disks.

The rear end of the compartments is closed by an inner rear wall h which is secured to the false bottom (.4 and the upper inner wall 0 by strips, or bars, h, an enlarged view of part of one of which is shewn in Fig. 6, while a suitable adhesive is, preferably, used to secure the parts together, or nails, screws, or equivalent, may be used in place of the adhesive. The strips, or bars, it, are provided with spaced notches it adapted to receive the corners of the partitions b and retain the latter in their spaced relationship. Preferably, the notches 7L extend in depth to half the diagonal thickness of the bars 71 and the upper and lower rear corners of the partitions are removed to fit the notches. For maintaining the spaced relationship of the partitions at the front of the cell, or receptacle, a strip, or bar, It with notches 7a? is secured to the front margin of the upper inner wall (7.

The cell, or receptacle, is provided with a roll-top cover j formed of a series of strips flexibly connected to each other, and supported at each end in a guide groove y" in the side walls (Z, and adapted, in the open 11 position, shewn in Fig. i, to be disposed in a space is between an outer upper wall 0 and the inner upper wall 0 and between an outer rear wall k and the inner rear wall it. been moved to the closed position, the rolltop cover is withdrawn from the space 7: and moved along the guide grooves j to a position in front of and covering the guard,

until the foremost strip is in contact with the false bottom a of the cell, or receptacle, against which it may be secured by suitable locking means. In the construction shewn, particularly in Fig. 1, the foremost strip of the roll-top cover is of less length than the other strips, for accommodating the blocks, or abutments, 7", and is fitted at each end with a lock Z, the bolt of which engages with a recess Z in each block f. To support the inclined false bottom a in its position relatively to a lower outer wall a, a block a is disposed between the rear ends of the false bottom a and the lower wall a.

To enable a disk record, to be moved past the side arms at each end of the cell, or receptacle, a lining Z) equal in thickness to that of the side arms, or approximately so, is secured to the inside of each side wall (Z. Alternatively, each end compartment may be made wider for this purpose.

The modification of cell, or receptacle, shewn in Figs. 9 and 10, differs from that previously described in that the cover comprises a blind 7' arranged on a spring roller j mounted on the sides (I at the upper front ends thereof. The bottom nmrgin of the blind j is provided, with a bar j fitted with a bolt Z at each end for securing the blind in the closed position. With this form of cover the inner upper and rear walls 0 and it can be dispensed with, otherwise the construction of cell, or receptacle, shewn in Figs. 9 and 10 is similar to that described with reference to Figs. 1 to S inclusive.

In the modified construction of cell, or re- For closing the cell, after the guard has ceptacle, shewn in Figs. 11, 12, and 13, the

lid, or cover, is in the form of a hinged, or pivoted, door 7' and is adapted to also serve as a guard, being provided with slots 6 which receive the disk records and retain them in a position available for use when the door is in the open position at an obtuse angle to the bottom of the cell, or receptacle, as shewn in 12. The door 7' is hinged, or pivoted, at its bottom edge to the bottom front edge of the cell, or receptacle, and is connected to the sides d of the cell, or receptacle, by a flexible means 7 which regulates the extent of opening of the door. With this construction the disk records gravitate down the inclined false bottom a into the slots (2" as the door is opened, and are returned into the compartments between the partitions by closing the door. To prevent the disk records projecting through the slots when the door is closed, the slots 0 are so arranged that the most forward part of each disk record bears against a part of the door above the slots. The door when closed acts as a shield to the disk records in the compartments, and in the closed position is secured by a spring controlled lock Z operated by a pivoted handle Z The further modification shewn in Figs. 14 and 15, comprises a pivotally mounted door j fitted with a member a which projects into the cell, or receptacle, and serves as a false bottom, and as a support, or carrier, for the disk records. Partitions 6 extend between the member, or false bottom, a and the door j, and are so spaced from each other as to provide compartments, each of which is adapted to receive a disk record. Each partition 6 is, preferably, pro 'ided with a curved edge in which a recess Z) is formed to facilitate handling the disk records. If desired, the bottom of alternate compartments may be fitted with a rib, or its equivalent Z), and on the inside of the door in the remaining compartments may also be fitted ribs, or equivalent, 5 so as to cause alternate disk records to project at a point beyond the adjacent disk records, and there by further facilitate the handling of same. The door is supported in the open position in which the disk records are available for use, by a flexible means 7, as in the construction described. with reference to Figs. 11, 12 and 13. The door 7' serves as a guard to the disk records. and when in the open position, supports them in a position available for use.

Therells, or receptacles, herein described, are adapted to be made in standard sizes, and to be packed one upon another, or side by side, or located in-a frame comprising a series of nests each adapted to receive one, or more cells, or receptacles.

When the cells, or receptacles, are adapted to be packed one upon another, or side by side, they may be provided, as shewn in Fig. 16, with pins m on the bottom and holes m in the top, so arranged, that the fittings of one cell, or receptacle, to another, enables them to be uniformly arranged and interlocked. Alternatively, cells, or receptacles, may be secured together in this manner, by means as shewn in Fig. 17, comprising ribs m on the upper and lower walls thereof, two ribs 797. being arranged in line and spaced from each other on each side margin of the under surface and adapted to extend ateach end of an intermediate rib on each side margin on the upper wall of another cell, or receptacle. When cells, or receptacles, provided with ribs m are fitted together, lateral movement of one relatively to the other is prevented by two inner ribs near each side margin of the upper wall which contact with the inner sides of the ribs on the lower wall. In Fig. 18 is illustrated a series of four cells, or receptacles, fitted together and interlocked.

A suitable construction of frame provided with a number of nests, each adapted to receive a cell, is shewn in Fig. 19. The frame may be of ornamental design, and adapted to support a gramophone on the top it. The front legs 0 are forwardly pitched so as to avoid overturning of the frame when a number of disk records are projected from a cell, or cells, to a position available for use. The frame comprises a series of horizontal partitions 7), and a series of vertical partitions p which together constitute a series of nests Q each of which is fitted with a removable front g, which, preferably, corresponds, in appearance, to the door, or cover, of the type of cell, or receptacle, it is intended to fit into each nest. In this manner the appearance of the frame remains, practically unaltered as it is gradually filled with cells, or receptacles. In the illustration, Fig. 19, it will be seen that only the first two upper nests are fitted with cells, or receptacles. The bottom right hand nest is shewn open.

Cells, or receptacles, as herein described will be found of great service in connection with the storage of gramophone and like disk records, and provide a means whereby the storage capacity can be increased correspondingly to requirements, and obviate the present necessity of providing expensive storage cabinets, which generally take up considerable space and afford a minimum storage capacity, and do not provide any possibility of increasing the capacity thereof, further storage means with known forms of containers being obtainable only by the purchase of a new and independent cabinet.

Having now fully described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In a device of the character stated, the combination of a cabinet, a plurality of superimposed compartments therein, a plurality of. cells in said compartments, each of said cells having inner and outer portions and vertically arranged partitions, a flexible roll top cover positioned in the space hetween said portions, a pivotally mounted transverse bar for limiting the outer movement of the records, a fixed forwardly inclined floor for each cell and means for locking said bar in closed position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

H. D. FITZPATRTCK. 

